California Becomes First State To Pass Landmark Bill That Bans Orca Captivity And Breeding

The Rainforest Site

By The Rainforest Site

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Animal activists are celebrating the passing of legislation that is the first of its kind. The Orca Responsibility and Care Advancement Act was proposed by Congressman Adam Schiff and was aimed to prevent the world-famous Sea World Orca shows.

“It would mean no more wild capture, no more breeding. We would essentially phase out the captive orcas that are currently in these water parks,” said Schiff to ABC 7.

Sea World has fought back with videos of their various animal rescue efforts, such as helping free whales tangled in fishermen nets. However, Schiff has several important figures speaking out in favor of this legislation, such as former Sea World trainer, Samantha Berg.

“When you look at the suffering that these animals deal with in captivity, there’s not something that we get out of that that outweighs the suffering that the animals go through,” said Berg.

On Tuesday, the bill was signed into law and will make the breeding or captivity of wild Orcas illegal. This means that Sea World must end their Shamu shows by the end of 2017. However, the animals already at the park will continue to live there.

‘The orcas will stay at SeaWorld and will continue to receive the highest-quality care based on the latest advances in marine veterinary medicine, science and zoological best practices,’ Aimée Jeansonne Becka, a spokesperson from the company told DailyMail.com.

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